


Lemonade

by galaxystiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Awkward Flirting, First Meetings, Gardener Dean, M/M, Rich Castiel, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-27 11:04:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7615561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxystiel/pseuds/galaxystiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Great, a new gardener. Just what Castiel needs, another grouchy old guy bossing him around in his own garden. Except Dean isn't grouchy or old. Just the opposite.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lemonade

“Castiel, are you even listening to me?”

Startled, Castiel’s attention snapped back to his father. His guilty expression showed just how much attention he’d been paying to the conversation. Afternoon tea seemed to have gone on forever, and it was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining, the heat was intense, without a hint of a breeze or a cloud in the sky. Castiel was just itching to go out into the garden and settle down by the pool.

“Sorry, father,” he murmured, ignoring the amused expressions of his siblings, Gabriel and Lucifer, as well as the disapproving glare from Michael. “I was distracted. You were saying?”

“I was _saying_ that we’ve hired a new gardener. Your mother hates her roses being neglected and just because she’s across town visiting your Aunt Hannah doesn’t mean her standards will lower.”

A new gardener? Great. That meant another old guy hobbling around the garden shouting at Castiel to keep away from the flowers, as if it was his garden and not Castiel’s. Mr. Devereux was an irritable man and Castiel had been thankful for his retirement. Hopefully, he could quickly leave an impression on the new gardener that he wasn’t going to be ordered around in his own garden.

“May I be excused?” He asked, as soon as there was a gap in his father’s ramblings.

With a put-upon sigh from Chuck, Castiel was dismissed. Stacking his plates for Ellen, their maid, he smiled and slipped out in the garden. There was a swing seat in the shade of the large white gazebo that he liked to sit in and read. It was small, but the cushioned seat was the best place to sit, particularly on hot days when the shade was a godsend. Walking past the flower beds, Castiel rounded the oak tree only to find that his swing was now in a pile on the floor, next to a crouching body that he assumed belonged to the new gardener.

“My seat,” he said, staring at the collapsed swing.

The man jumped, turning to stare at Castiel. Both of their cheeks flushed as their eyes met, a spark of interest in both of their gazes. Castiel was astounded, because this man was nothing like Mr. Devereux. For a start, he was only a year or two older than Castiel himself. For another, he had _freckles_. No bad-tempered person could have so many freckles. It was unthinkable.

“Your seat? Oh! You must be Castiel.” The gardener, clad in a white vest and cut off jean shorts, swiped at the perspiration dripping down his forehead. “I’m Dean, the new gardener. The, uh, rope was wearing thin, so I took it down so I could replace it. I can put it back up now, it’ll take no time at all. If you want to grab a book or a glass of water or whatever, I promise to have it done by the time you get back.”

Castiel looked at Dean with uncertainty, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Alright. I’ll be a few minutes, then. I want to get changed anyway.” He decided he’d be more comfortable in a pair of shorts too, especially if he wanted to dip in the pool later.

When he was on his way back downstairs in a pair of shorts and a thin t-shirt, Ellen beckoned to him from the kitchen. “It’s a hot day out there, make sure to keep yourself hydrated, Castiel. Here,” she held out a tray with a pitcher of homemade lemonade and two glasses. “Take one out to Dean too, tell him to come and see me before he goes and I’ll give him some of the apple pie I made this morning.”

Castiel’s interest piqued, and he tucked his book under his arm so he could take the tray. “You know Dean? I just met him, he’s fixing my swing seat. He said the rope was fraying.”

Ellen clucked her tongue, a fond look on her face. “Since he was in diapers. He’s a good boy with a big heart. Fixes everything he comes across. He’s clever like that. Could be a top engineer, but instead he’s putting his little brother through law school.”

Surprised, Castiel blinked at the information and then nodded his gratitude. “Thanks, Ellen.”

Making his way out, he set the tray down by the pool, heading over to Dean with one of the glasses. To his surprise, the swing seat was already secured back in place, and Dean had already moved on to tend to the primroses.

“Hello, Dean,” Castiel spoke up, not wanting to startle him again. “Thank you for fixing my swing.”

Dean rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, no worries, Cas. I just didn’t want you to get hurt when it snapped. It should be fine now.”

Castiel nodded, leaving an awkward silence to descend between them. “Oh! This is for you,” he remembered the lemonade in his hand and held the glass out. “Ellen said to go and see her for some pie before you leave.”

“Oh, man, you’re the best,” Dean sighed, taking the lemonade. Cas watched as Dean threw his head back as he drank the sweet beverage. His eyes traced over Dean’s angled jaw, down his throat, settling on his collarbones. He could feel a flush settling over his whole body that wasn’t quite due to the weather as he stared.

Castiel cleared his throat. “I’m gonna … pool,” he mumbled, gesturing behind himself. “If you’re still thirsty, there’s a full pitcher of lemonade over there.”

Hurrying over to the pool, Cas jumped straight into the water. Though the day was hot, it wasn’t enough to stop the pool from being anything other than freezing. The icy cold temperature was a shock to his system, though it stopped any thoughts of desire towards the gardener. From here, Castiel couldn’t see anything except the shimmering light as it bounced off the water. He surfaced, shivering from the sudden cold.

“Hot?” Dean asked, raising his eyebrow as he gestured to Castiel’s dripping wet form.

“Not any more,” Castiel sighed, mostly to himself, running his fingers through his hair to shake out some of the water droplets. “On days like this I want to live in this pool. You should take a break soon, to cool off. You don’t want to drop from the heat.”

Dean nodded absently. “Yeah, maybe. Your dad didn’t exactly hire me to sit around drinking all your lemonade though.  I get the feeling he’ll bust my ass if he thinks I’m slacking.”

“Nah, my mom’s the ball-buster and she’s not here. Seriously, I’d vouch for you. Come sit down, the water’s good if you want to dip in the pool too.”

Dean set down his shears, tentatively padding over to Castiel. He didn’t jump in the water, but he did kick off his shoes, settling down at the edge and dipping his feet into the cool liquid.

After a moment, Castiel realised he was staring and ducked under the water again, swimming strong strokes to the other side of the pool. He needed to clear his head. An attractive gardener that would be here all summer was going to be a distraction. Castiel just needed to make sure he didn’t scare him off. Conversation wasn’t his strong suit, so he racked his brains for something interesting to say.

“So, Cas,” Dean beat him to it, which was surprising. “You, uh, hang out in the garden a lot? Just wondering if I’ll be getting in your way.”

Castiel swam back over, settling next to Dean and shrugging. “Sure. During summer, most of my family hangs out here, but I suppose I’m outside the most. I like nature.”

“That’s cool,” Dean nodded, seeming genuinely interested. “And you like to read, too? I, uh, I saw your book. I don’t really read much, that’s Sam’s area of expertise. I enjoy Vonnegut though.”

Castiel’s face lit up. “I loved Mother Night. The ending destroyed me.”

“I think Cat’s Cradle is my favourite,” Dean admitted, before nervously checking his watch. “I should probably get back to work before someone tells me I’m slacking off. Besides, the sooner I’m done, the sooner I get me some pie.”

As Dean wandered over to the roses, Cas decided it was time to get out of the pool and dry off. The brief conversation involving books had made him want to finish the book he’d brought down. Once he was back on the grass, Castiel stripped off his t-shirt to wring it out.

“Ah, fuck!”

He spun to see Dean was now wrestling with the hose, thoroughly soaking himself and almost beheading one of Naomi’s prize roses. He laughed as Dean blushed, trying to shut off the water. Still amused, Castiel went inside to get a towel, darting through the kitchen and avoiding Ellen’s shouts of irritation at the puddles he left behind as he dripped his way upstairs.

From his bedroom window, Castiel had a perfect view of Dean just going about his business. He ducked out of sight so he could dry himself off and change into another pair of shorts. It wouldn’t do to be caught staring at Dean on his first day. He might feel uncomfortable and Castiel already didn’t want him to leave.

“Hope your butt is covered, little bro, because I’m coming in!” Gabriel called out, rapping twice on the door for good measure before barging in. “Well, well, would you look at that eye candy out there?”

Castiel bristled, though he knew he had no right to. Dean wasn’t his property, he just thought he was hot. “Gabriel, can we have one member of the help that you haven’t tried to seduce?”

“Ellen,” Gabriel replied promptly. “She’d sooner cut my balls off. Besides, I know when someone is unavailable, and Dean most certainly has his eye on someone.”

Clearing his throat, Castiel deflated. “Oh? How do you know that?”

With a snort, Gabriel flopped down on Castiel’s bad and pulled a candy bar from his pocket. “You’re kidding, right? The guy has been openly ogling your ass from the second he saw you. When you took your shirt off, he dropped the hose trying to pick up his jaw!”

Castiel brightened at the knowledge that Dean might find him distracting. “Well… he is very handsome,” he muttered, sneaking another peek out of the window. Dean had taken his vest off now, and was mopping his forehead. “Damn.”

“Damn,” Gabriel agreed, sitting up for a better look. “You should get a piece of that, baby bro.”

Glaring at his brother, Castiel sat on the edge of the bed with a huff. “Do you have to be so crude about it? I don’t want ‘a piece of that’, I like meaningful connections with people.”

“Yeah? Well, good news, kid. Daddy dearest just took Michael and Lucifer for a round of golf and I’m on my way to try and win over Kali, so here’s your chance to go and ‘meaningfully connect’ with the piece of ass outside while the place is empty. Good luck, Cassie!” Gabriel left the room before Castiel could throw something at him, the sound of his cackling laughter floating back.

Castiel shook his head in exasperation at his brother’s antics. Still, he couldn’t deny that Gabriel had a point. The house was empty of anyone who might disapprove of his mild attraction, and he could spend the time talking to Dean, getting to know him. With that in mind, Castiel made his way back downstairs, avoiding the kitchen because he could hear Ellen rampaging, and slipping back out into the garden.

“Here,” he held out a fluffy white towel to Dean, who was still all soaked from dropping the hose. “This is for you.”

In a moment of bravery, he kept hold of the towel once Dean reached out to take it, giving him a tentative smile and stepping closer.

Dean flushed, letting go instantly and rubbing the back of his neck. “Cas, I… I’m flattered, but…”

Mortified, Castiel didn’t need to hear any more. His cheeks burned and he stepped back. “Oh. No, it’s cool. I just thought… it’s fine. Here. Dry yourself off. I’ll stop bothering you and leave you to the gardening…”

“No, Cas, wait,” Dean pleaded, ignoring the towel and grabbing Castiel’s wrist. “Please. Let me explain. I need this job. I’m trying to put my brother through school and it’s more expensive than I could have ever imagined. I’m working my ass off all hours just to make ends meet.”

Castiel pulled his arm free, but he didn’t run off. He averted his eyes to the floor, humiliated. Why the hell did he listen to Gabriel? Of course Dean wasn’t distracted by him, why the hell would he be? He should’ve known better.

“I’m not gonna get you fired because you turned me down. I can handle rejection maturely. I just need to go and be embarrassed elsewhere right now.”

“It wasn’t a rejection,” Dean’s tone was pleading, frustrated, which was enough to make Castiel stop trying to flee and look at him.

“It wasn’t?”

Dean swallowed. “Well, I mean, it was… but it wasn’t? I’m interested, trust me. But there’s no quicker way to get fired than being caught making out with my boss’ son. I only work for you until the end of summer, Cas. I’m not saying no; I’m just saying… not yet?”

Castiel smiled, feeling a little better. He could respect that, of course Dean didn’t want to lose his job. “For the record, my dad would be cool with it. I do respect your decision, however. Maybe we could go out for dinner and a movie when the summer is over.”

Dean leaned forward and brushed his lips against Castiel’s. “To tide us over until then,” he agreed. “I wouldn’t get any work done if I spent the whole summer wondering what that would be like.”

He stepped back and rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks a little pink. “I better get back to work.”

Castiel just nodded, flustered from the kiss and unable to form words. He watched Dean for a few moments before heading back to the pool to grab a glass of lemonade and pick up his book.

One thing was clear: this was going to be a long summer.

**Author's Note:**

> [MY TUMBLR](http://blueeyedangel.co.vu)


End file.
